A Commitment to Service| Article 2 |
Overseas Program Makes Graduate Education Possible for Many Teachers

The Graduate Studies in Education Overseas (GSEO) program has been a key component of the university's and college's academic outreach efforts for 20 years.

The program began in 1969 and was first known as Graduate Education Overseas, which was administered by MSU's Office of Continuing and Lifelong Education.

For Sandy Bryson, who has been part of the overseas program for 20 years, the goal has remained much the same: to provide teachers and administrators with the opportunity to pursue graduate study regardless of their location.

In the early days, Bryson said the program was different. Students completed their master's degrees by attending courses offered where there were enough students to hold a class. Most of the courses were offered during the school year.

Bryson said that in those days, the program was geared toward Asia and the Pacific, enrolling many educators from U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools.

In the late 1980s, GEO was moved from Continuing and Lifelong Education into the College of Education, and was renamed Graduate Studies in Education Overseas. In addition to the name, the program was altered.

Initially, educators abroad would take individual courses as they were offered in various locations throughout the world. Today, students are grouped into cohorts and attend three consecutive summer sessions either in France or Thailand to complete their master's degrees in curriculum and teaching.

"The audience we serve is much the same," Bryson said. "The way and time we reach them is different." In addition to the changes, GSEO's offerings have expanded. The program now offers an Educational Leadership Certficate for teachers interested in pursuing administrative careers in international schools.

And last year, the program initiated a master's degree in educational technology, offered in Switzerland. Students can also receive a certificate in educational technology through the program's offices in France and Thailand.

The greatest strength of GSEO is its faculty, said Susan Melnick, director of the Office of Academic Outreach. GSEO, she said, is the only overseas program that uses full-time faculty to teach the courses.

Faculty benefit by taking part in GSEO by making contacts with international faculty and the exposure to new ideas and different perspectives, Melnick said.

For both Melnick and Bryson, the opportunity to reach educators throughout the world is an important responsibility for the college and the university, and a wonderful opportunity to widen the circle of MSU alumni.

"The students truly come from throughout the United States and all over world," Bryson said. "And they develop a great affinity for the university even though they have never been here."

Commitment to Service : | 1. 2. 3. 4 |